LAUREL FAMILY 95 



1. A. triloba Duiial. Papaw. A small tree, 10-20 ft. high; 

 bark nearly smooth, lead-colored. Leaves oblong-obovate, acute at 

 the apex, obtuse at the base, rusty-downy when young and becoming- 

 smoother with age, 6-10 in. long. Flowers on branches of the previ- 

 ous season, appearing before or with the leaves ; the short peduncles 

 and the sepals brown-downy ; petals purple, obovate, 3-4 times 

 longer than the sepals. Fruit 3-5 in. long, edible when ripe. Com- 

 mon on banks of streams, especially S. and S.W. The bark is very 

 tough and is often used in the place of rope.* 



38. LAURACEiE. Laurel Family 



Aromatic plants, nearly always trees or shrubs. Leaves 

 alternate, simple, usually entire, and marked with translucent 

 dots. Calyx regular, hypogynous, of 4 or 6 colored sepals. 

 Stamens in 3 or 4 circles of 3 each, the anthers opening by 

 valves. Style single. Fruit a 1-seeded berry or drupe. 



I. SASSAFRAS Nees. 



A tree with rough, yellowish bark and a spreading top. 

 Leaves deciduous, entire or 2-3-lobed. Flowers dioecious, 

 involucrate, at the end of the twigs of the previous season. 

 Calyx 6-parted, persistent in the pistillate flowers. Stamens 

 9, in 3 rows. Pistillate flowers with 4-6 abortive stamens 

 and a single ovary. Fruit a drupe.* 



L S. variifolium Ktze. Sassafras. A tree, usually small and slen- 

 der, but sometimes with a trunk 3 ft. in diameter and 125 ft. high. 

 Leaves oval, entire, mitten-shaped or 3-lobed, downy when young but 

 becoming smooth with age, dark green above, paler below, petiolate. 

 llacemes several in a cluster, peduncled ;• flowers yellow. Stamens 

 about as long as the sepals. Fruit dark blue, ovoid, on thickened red 

 pedicels. All parts of the tree aromatic. Trees producing pistillate 

 flowers rare. Common. The wood is valuable for cabinet making, 

 and an aromatic oil is extracted from the bark.* 



II. BENZOIN Fal)ric. 



Shrubs. Leaves deciduous, entire. Flowers in lateral, sessile 

 clusters, appearing before the leaves, dioecious or somewhat 

 monoecious. Involucre of 4 scales. Stamens 9 in the staminate 



